The first batch of narrators has been announced for this year's Candlelight Processionals at Epcot. Many favorites are returning, including Gary Sinise (fresh off his narration at Disneyland last year) to his traditional Christmas slot that he held from 2001 to 2004, as well as 2006 and 2007. Also returning are Isabella Rossellini, Neil Patrick Harris, Whoopi Goldberg, Jodi Benson (for the first time since 2002), Trace Adkins, and Marlee Matlin. Matlin has appeared nearly every year since 2001, with the exception of 2003 and 2009, and has been the final narrator of the season since 2006 (again, with the exception of 2009). In fact, the only first-time narrator announced so far is Olivia Newton-John.

The traditional telling of the Christmas story with a mass choir and 50-piece live orchestra runs from the night after Thanksgiving through December 30 at the America Gardens Theatre at Epcot three times nightly, at 5:00, 6:45 and 8:15 p.m.

Here are this year's narrators (as always, subject to change):

November 23–25: Isabella Rossellini

November 26–29: Neil Patrick Harris

November 30–December 1: Whoopi Goldberg

December 2-4: TBD

December 5-7: TBD

December 8-10: TBD

December 11–13: Jodi Benson

December 14–16: Olivia Newton John

December 17-19: TBD

December 20–22: Trace Adkins

December 23–25: Gary Sinise

December 26-28: TBD

December 29–30: Marlee Matlin

Candlelight Processional dining packages will go on sale next Tuesday, June 26. The popular dining packages provide a prix fixe dinner at Epcot's table service dining locations and guaranteed seating for the Processional. While pricing has not yet been announced for this year, last year's pricing should provide a good ballpark estimate.

Permanent net structures have been constructed above the walkways around the Tree of Life on Discovery Island at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

The nets disrupt the feeling of openness previously experienced on the trails. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

The erection of the permanent net structures was prompted by the falling of this artificial limb now lying backstage. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Last Friday, as guests were pouring into Disney California Adventure to check out the new Cars Land, Walt Disney World was quietly pulling the wraps off of more of Storybook Circus at the Magic Kingdom.

The Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station is now open and drenching guests on the roundtable in front of the Carolwood Park Station. In addition, while final adjustments are still taking place in preparation for allowing guests to ride, the walls around the second spinner at Dumbo the Flying Elephant have come down, letting guests get a look at the attraction's final appearance.

Casey Jr. and the giraffe and elephant cars soak guests from the rails in the center of the turntable. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

While the second Dumbo spinner and the interactive, air-conditioned queue area won't officially open until next month, the removal of the walls and the preview images of the queue seem to indicate that there may be soft openings very soon.

The monkeys on the clown wagon fire water back at Casey on one side. There is some serious soaking going on. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

The camels returning fire at Casey from the other side pump out a lot more water than the spitting camels near Aladdin. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

The Casey Jr. area will virtually guarantee that you get soaked if you venture onto the wet play deck, as there are many sources of water all around, which provide tremendous amounts of water from many angles.

Casey Jr.'s eyes open and close, but there is a railing around the engine preventing guests from boarding the locomotive. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Towels, water shoes, sunscreen, and more are available from the nearby mercantile wagon. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

While the Casey Jr. engine originally appeared to have an open space for kids to climb in and sit, a short railing has been constructed around it to keep little ones from getting in. It would appear that the open space design was not necessarily run past Disney's liability attorneys before construction began.

The second spinner for Dumbo the Flying Elephants has been revealed, but the spinner and the interactive queue will not officially open until next month. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Speaking of Disney's liability attorneys closing things off, the former Tigger Bounce section of the queue for The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh also reopened as a meet-and-greet last week. Guests can meet Pooh and friends throughout the day at "A Place for Friends to Meet."

Guests can meet friends from the Hundred Acre Wood at the redesigned area that formerly housed the Tigger Bounce portion of the queue. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Calling all with a spirit of adventure!

Are you ready for MouseAdventure: World Explorers IV? The fourth iteration of the scavenger hunt/puzzle quest/race through Walt Disney World's parks takes place on Saturday, November 3 at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom (the game has been going on at the parks of the Disneyland Resort for more than 11 years now). Do you think that you know the Magic Kingdom? We bet you don't know it as well as you think you do. Test your wits against those of our puzzle masters. For more information, check out the MouseAdventure information page. Registration opens next week!

Last week, the Disney Parks Blog announced information about the arrival of new Dooney & Bourke and D-Tech collections at Walt Disney World this summer. Images from both collections could be seen in the show notes for the June 7 episode of the MouseStation podcast, which featured a chat with Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager for Walt Disney World.

Three Dooney & Bourke lines are coming, with two guaranteed to be released at an event at TrenD in Downtown Disney Marketplace on July 14. The store will open at 9:30 a.m., with a meet-and-greet opportunity with Dooney & Bourke creative director Ian Ray and Disney Design Group artist Susan Foy taking place from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

A retro Walt Disney World print will be available at prices rangine from $85-$285 for tassel bag, satchel, cross-body letter carrier, barrel bag, wristlet and the tablet case styles. A Disney character charm pattern will be available on a black background as a pocket tote, satchel, wristlet, and tablet case, while a letter carrier, wristlet, and barrel bag will be available in a white background version. The third line, a nylon version of a classic sketch print, might be available at the event, but may nto be released until later. That pattern will be available in backpack, satchel, letter carrier, and pocket satchel formats.

Meanwhile, D-Tech mobile phone cases for the five most popular Android phones on the market will be released later this summer. The selected models are HTC Droid Incredible 2, HTC Thunderbolt, HTC Evo 4G, Samsung Infuse 4G, and Motorlola Atrix 4G. Three designs are omcing this summer, with more coming in the fall.

iPhone 4/4S owners will have some new designs, as well. Two limited edition cases (edition size of 2,012) have already been released for the opening of Cars Land at Disney California Adventure park, but there's more coming next month. three more limited edition cases (also edition size of 2,012) will be released in July featuring classic logos from Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, as well as a Pirates of the Caribbean attraction poster. Open-edition jewel-covered cases featuring Sorcerer Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Jack Skellington will be released over the summer.

Send us your menu photos

Click on the "Dining" section from our Walt Disney World Guide to see our complete list of of the park restaurant menus from Walt Disney World. Please help us keep the menus up to date! Send photos or scans of park menus to menus@mouseplanet.com to help us keep our listings updated.

This year's (pin and Vinylmation) trading event at Walt Disney World will be themed as "Mickey's Circus" and will take place September 7 to 9, it was announced last week. The theming was chosen to honor the opening of the Storybook Circus area in the Magic Kingdom park. The event will again take place at Epcot's World Showplace pavilion.

There will be 26 pin items designed exclusively for the event, as well as special 9-inch and 3-inch Vinylmations—and dual-size sets. Pin items include a drawstring pouch trading bag, boxed sets, individual pins, and Passholder-exclusive items. One new set will be a Disney Villains mystery set.

At this year's event, the two merchandise lines will be separated. Pin trading events will take place on September 7 and 8, while September 9 will be devoted to Vinylmation trading.

First opportunity to pre-purchase limited edition pins designed for the event

Artist signings

A$30 gift card redeemable at Epcot food & beverage locations

Trading activities and games, and more.

The first 750 Guests who register for the event will also receive a limited edition early registration pin. Anyhone registering by tomorrow will pay $105 instead of $120.

Other special experiences available for the pin event include a special Opening Acts Breakfast the morning of September 7 (for $40) that provides

A breakfast buffet

An exclusive pin

Extra trading time before the event itself opens. .

Mickey's Circus Big Top Dessert Reception takes place after the pin portion of the event concludes on September 8 (also for $40), and includes extra trading time after the event, a dessert buffet, an exclusive pin, and a special viewing area for Illuminations. You must be registered for the pin event to sign up for the breakfast or dessert events.

Quick takes …

…Victoria & Albert's, Walt Disney World's flagship restaurant, has earned its 13th consecutive AAA Five-Diamond Award. The restaurant, at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, is one of only 53 restaurants (out of the 28,000 reviewed this year) to achieve a five-diamond rating, and one of only 21 to have held that ranking for 13 or more consecutive years. Reservations are available by calling 407-WDW-DVNA (407-939-3862). The prix fixe dinner in the main dining room runs $135 per person for six courses, or $200 with wine pairings, while the exclusive Chef's Table and Queen Victoria's Room each cost $210 per person for 10 courses, or $315 with wine pairings.

…The Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue has now opened reservations for October through December. However, they have made modifications based upon an apparently successful test from earlier this year, and seating times are now an hour earlier. This should help with the difficulty in filling the former 9:30 show. New seating times are now 4:00, 6:15, and 8:30 p.m.

…Disney Phineas and Ferb Agent P's World Showcase Adventure was in soft-open status at Epcot over the weekend. Watch for an official opening within the next two weeks.

…Last Thursday, Walt Disney World water parks again participated in the annual attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the World's Largest Swimming Lesson. While the counts are still being tabulated from the over 500 host locations in 20 countries on 5 continents, it's a good bet that the record (of over 20,000) was again eclipsed this year. All 45-minute lessons began at 11 a.m. EDT. This year, Disney's event took place at Blizzard Beach (Typhoon Lagoon was the event site for the previous two years).…The 2013 Expedition Everest Challenge takes place May 4, 2013. No date has been released yet for the opening of registration.

…Registration for the September 28–29 Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend is now full. There is a waitlist in case additional spots become available. The related runDisney Kids' Races are now 54 percent full and the 5K is now 53 percent full. A one-mile race has been added to the runDisney Kids' Races.

…Registration for the January 10-13, 2013, Disney Marathon Weekend is now open. Registration for Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge is 72 percent full and the full Marathon is 53 percent full.

…The MousePlanet Newsletter is here! The newsletter contains a recap of the week's articles (in case you miss a day), news that may have developed since the weekly Updates were published, and tips about what's happening at the Disney theme parks for the coming weekend. We'll also include a fun MouseAdventure bonus, such as an Eye Spy or a trivia question. To subscribe to our free newsletter, go to the MousePlanet main page and enter your email address in the top right box labeled "Join the MousePlanet Newsletter." Click Join, then fill out the fields in the registration page, including your first and last name. The Newsletter is free, but you must complete this registration to receive it, even if you may have signed up for one with us in the past.

Crowd information and forecasts are provided by TouringPlans.com, the website of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, to help you better plan your trip to the Walt Disney World Resort. TouringPlans.com gathers wait time data from a team of in-park researchers and users of their Lines mobile phone application, and then predicts crowd levels for the next 365 days. Using a scale from 1 to 10, TouringPlans.com has a 90 percent accuracy of predicting the crowds to within 1 point, helping visitors prepare for their trips so they can "Do more. Wait less."

Check out the Disney World Park Crowd Levels page on TouringPlans.com for park-specific predictions and recommendations on which days to visit and avoid particular parks!

Pop Century Resort – repairs of concrete deck at Hippy Dippy Pool through September 28. The pool remains open during the work, but some small sections of the pool deck will be closed periodically throughout this period.

Elsewhere

Oak Trail Golf Course – closed June 6 through September 28 for refurbishment.

Cirque du Soleil La Nouba – performs Tuesdays through Saturdays. For 2012, the show is not be performed:

July 24

September 18–22

November 27

Current Discounts & Promotions

Tables in Wonderland members can save on tickets to La Nouba

Tables in Wonderland members can purchase discounted Category 2 tickets La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil on performances Tuesday through Saturday nights, May 29 to June 27. Prices for members and up to 3 guests are $57.85 plus tax for adults and $46.80 plus tax for children. To purchase tickets, call 407-WDW-SEAT (407-939-7328). Note that a valid Tables in Wonderland ID and advance purchase is required. Tickets must be picked up at the La Nouba box office Will Call window.

Military ticket offer

From now through September 28, 2012, active and retired U.S. military personnel can purchase 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets with either the Park Hopper or Water Parks Fun and More option for $138 per ticket, plus tax, or with both the Park Hopper and Water Parks Fun and More options for $165 per ticket, plus tax. No Base ticket is available with this offer.

The tickets expire and may not be used after September 30, 2012. July 4, 2012 is a blockout date.

Eligible service members include active or retired members of the U.S. military including the U.S. Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reservists. Disney Military Promotional Tickets can be purchased at Shades of Green or at a participating military base (MWR/ITT) office. There is no tax charged for these tickets but they must be activated at a theme park ticket window. Tickets may also be purchased at Walt Disney World Park Ticket Offices and Guest Relations Offices where tax will be charged. No more than twelve Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets may be purchased, activated and/or used by any Eligible Service Member or spouse during the life of this promotion, and no Eligible Service Member or spouse may purchase, activate and/or use more than six Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets during any single week of the promotion. One of the Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets purchased on each occasion must be for use by the Eligible Service Member or spouse. This offer is for active or retired members of the U.S. military, including the National Guard, Reservists and the U.S. Coast Guard. Valid military identification is required. The tickets are non-transferable and may not be resold.

The tickets may be upgraded to Seasonal Passes or Florida Resident Weekday Select Passes (for Florida Residents), or Annual Passes, Premium Annual Passes, or Disney Premier Pass with credit toward the upgrade based on the actual price paid. The no-expiration option and other upgrades, such as additional days, are not available.

For complete information regarding Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets, military personnel may call 407-939-7830, visit the Walt Disney World website, or participating U.S. military base ticket offices.

Comments

By Drince88 on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 05:21:38 -0700

Wow, that net around the Tree of Life trails is very disruptive. To me, the whole point of those trails was to look at the details of the carvings. Kind of hard to do through the net -- and then I wonder how well that net/framework would really protect someone from a falling limb.

In the "Coming Up" section it says

August 14: Reservations for Party for the Senses at this year's Epcot International Food & Wine Festival open.

Is it safe to say this is when reservations for ALL the extra events at the F&W fest will be open? Which means that they're not going to announce the details on those until probably August? Makes it hard for us to plan our ADRs when we don't know when a special dinner/lunch/whatever might be scheduled that we want to do.

ETA: The quick takes section said that Hoop Dee Doo is now open for reservations, yet the refurbishment says it's going to be closed. Did the refurbishment section just not get updated?

By D2000lands on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:50:29 -0700

Since events are listed going into 2013, it should be worth noting on the updates that the Pop Warner super bowl events will take place at WDW from November 30 through December 8, 2012.

By Mark Goldhaber on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 23:03:53 -0700

Originally Posted by Drince88

The quick takes section said that Hoop Dee Doo is now open for reservations, yet the refurbishment says it's going to be closed. Did the refurbishment section just not get updated?

Whoops. You are correct. Fixed. Sorry.

By scoobydooby on Wed, 20 Jun 2012 16:32:14 -0700

Oh I 'need' one of those new D&B purses to add to my collection and I really need a limited edition i phone 4 cover More than that. I want my children to be little again now I've seen the splash play area at MK. What fun!

By stan4d_steph on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:19:38 -0700

I can't believe those nets are permanent. Is that official? If so, it's just awful. Fix the root of the problem--the structural integrity of the tree--don't just throw some half baked fix up there. They might as well have used duct tape; that's about how elegant the nets are.

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MousePlanet is not associated in any official way with the Walt Disney Company, its subsidiaries. or its affiliates. The official Disney site is available at www.disney.com. This MousePlanet Web site provides independent news articles, commentary, editorials, reviews. and guides about the Walt Disney Co. All information on this site is subject to change. Please contact destinations in advance to confirm the most up-to-date information.